1. Field of the Invention:
The invention is related to a chair accessory for restraining lateral flexion of the torso and for limiting forward flexion of the head of a patient seated in a chair.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
The prior art includes various bib structures, none of which is known to have been generally accepted, the patents known being U.S. Pat. No. 4,170,991 which is a seat bib partly sat upon and in part similar to an ordinary bib; U.S. Pat. No. 2, 170,703 which is represented as being for tying an infant in a highchair, this being accomplished by a bib with arm holes and an aperture through which the legs of the child are extended in addition to a crotch strap; U.S. Pat. No. 2,851,033 which shows a bib covering the front of a patient and provided with straps fastened around the back of the wheelchair and "underneath the (seat) chair", this arrangement not positively preventing the patient from accidentally or deliberately having his head slumped forward or from having the torso tilt or flexed to either side;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,182,322 issued to Larry C. Miller on Jan. 8, 1980 is related to a head restraining and safety support device for use with a body splint/litter apparatus, the apparatus having a head rest section at one end thereof. U.S. Pat. No. 3,100,484 issued to J. E. Berl on Aug. 13, 1963 is a belt for restricting movement of the torso of a handicapped patient or a person suffering some impairment. It is padded, quilted, covered, and taped for comfortable wear and sanitation. It is adjustable to any required length and oriented about the patients waist and attached about the back of the wheelchair. U.S. Pat. No. 2,452,103 issued to J. A. Conradt, et al on Oct. 26, 1948 is a head rest for restraining lateral movement of the head. U.S. Pat. No. 2,582,571 issued to A. M. Thoma on Jan. 15, 1952 is also a head rest intended for attachment to the back of seats in buses and trains to support a passenger's head and reduce annoying noises. U.S. Pat. No. 4,339,151 issued to Eric D. Riggs on July 13, 1982 is a head restraint for supporting the user's head. U.S. Pat. No. 2,619,362 discloses a restraining cushioning device for tethering children or restricting their movement in a motor vehicle. U.S. Pat. No. 4,097,086 discloses a body restraint for supporting persons while sleeping upright in a chair. The device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,097,086 employs a strap encircling the back of the chair and the torso of the user. The device also discloses a pillow attachable at one end to the strap against which the user may rest his "head".
The invention is also generally related to U.S. Pat. No. 3,136,311 issued to Sidney Lewis on June 9, 1964 which is a patient supporting garment, vest-like in nature and adapted for holding an invalid patient in a conventional sitting position on a chair or the like. Other harness type torso supports for invalids and bed-ridden patients are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,851,033 and 2,413,395.
Patients in chairs, for example wheelchairs, frequently require means to support and/or restrain them against inadvertent falling or sliding out of the chair as well as means for restraining lateral movement of their torso and forward flexion of the head at its juncture with the cervical spine to avoid injury to the cervical spine and/or injury to the lumbar spine or bruising of the rib cage when they fall asleep and after falling asleep either lean too far forward or lean too far laterally to either the right or the left from the upright seated position. A positive comfortable restraint for both the head and the torso is desirable. The commonest current method for preventing movement of the torso is an uncomfortable belt like restraint about the waist and sometimes also a bib around the chest or waist. The prior art appears devoid of any means for restraining forward flexion of the head. However, several designs for completely and uncomfortably restraining head motion of patients are disclosed in the prior art. Generally, these means are uncomfortable and not designed for use by sedentary, senile or handicapped patients who spend a substantial portion of their waking hours in a chair.
The prior art has been primarily directed towards restraining the torso of the wheelchair patient without any attention to the problem of cervical sprain which can be caused by traumatic, sudden flexion of the cervical spine by the head dropping as the patient falls asleep while being held in the chair. Moreover, the belt restraints and other restraints which are affixed around the torso of the patient have the disadvantage of having to be disconnected to allow the patient to be removed from the wheelchair or to remove himself from the wheelchair to attend to elimination.
An object of the present invention is to provide in combination with an armchair, a means for passively restraining lateral movement of the torso of the patient seated therein in a comfortable and effective manner without the necessity of having to tie an item about the body or the torso of the patient while simultaneously providing freedom of movement of the head backwards in an unlimited capacity and also lateral rotation in an unlimited capacity for eating and conversational purposes and at the same time providing restraint from severe forward flexion in the event that the patient falls asleep while seated in the chair.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive means for limiting forward flexion of the user's head and at the same time provide a relatively inexpensive means for limiting lateral flexion of the user's torso utilizing strips of fabric and pillows and pillowcases already in existence.
The need for this unique combination of a means for limiting forward flexion of the user's head and a means for limiting the lateral flexion of the user's torso has not been heretofore recognized in the art. However, the need for such a combination of restraints has existed for a considerable time but until now no inexpensive and disposable means was available.